With Drew Fickett out of UFC 73 because of an injury, UFC veteran welterweight Chris Lytle (22-14-5 MMA, 2-6 UFC) will instead face Jason Gilliam (9-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) at the July 7 event, according to a MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) source.

According to his agent, Joe Cavallaro, Fickett “blew out his knee” and is awaiting further information from his doctor before they know the extent of the injury.

“It had been bothering him for some time,” said Cavallaro. “We thought it was getting better, but [a few days ago], he called and said he had blown it out and that it was twice its normal size. We contacted the UFC right away so they could find a replacement.”

Cavallaro, though, wasn’t sure who it would be.

However, earlier this afternoon, we received confirmation from a source close to the event that it’ll be Gilliam, who usually fights at 155 pounds.

Gilliam, then undefeated, made his Octagon debut at UFC 68 back in March. He suffered a first-round submission loss to Jamie Varner via rear naked choke. Prior to the loss, the Indiana fighter and former mechanic won nine straight fights in the Extreme Combat Challenge and King of the Cage organizations. Six of the nine wins came in first-round stoppages.

UFC 73 takes place at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, Calif. and airs on pay-per-view.

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